Excerpt from Annual Report of the Department of Indian Affairs: For the Year Ended June 30, 1906 When the question first came to be discussed, it was seen that it would be difficult to separate the Indians who came from their hunting grounds on both sides of the Albany river to trade at the posts of the Hudson's Bay Company, and to treat only with that portion which came from the southern or Ontario side. As the cession of the Indian title in that portion of the Northwest Territories which lies to the north of the Albany river would have to be consummated at no very distant date, it was thought advisable to make the negotiations with Indians whose hunting grounds were in Ontario serve as the occasion for dealing upon the same terms with all the Indians trading at Albany river posts, and to add to the community of interest which for trade purposes exists amongst these Indians a like responsibility for treaty obligations. We were, therefore, given power by Order of His Excellency in Council of July 6, 1905, to admit to treaty any Indian whose hunting grounds cover portions of the Northwest Territories lying between the Albany river, the district of Keewatin and Hudson bay, and to set aside reserves in that territory. In one essential particular the constitution of the commission to negotiate this treaty differed from that of others which undertook similar service in the past. One member* was nominated by the province of Ontario under the provisions of clause 6 of the Statute of Canada, 541-55 Vic., chap. V., which reads: 'that any future. Treaties with the Indians in respect of territory in Ontario to which they have not before the passing of the said Statutes surrendered their claim aforesaid shall be deemed to require the concurrence of the government of Ontario.' The concurrence of the government of Ontario carried with it the stipulation that one member of the commission should be nominated by and represent Ontario. It is important also to note, that under the provisions of clause 6 just quoted the terms of the treaty were fixed by the governments of the Dominion and Ontario; the commissioners were empowered to offer certain conditions, but were not allowed to alter or add to them in the event of their not being acceptable to the Indians. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.